This invention relates to what is sometimes referred to as an impact crusher, and more particularly to a construction for the rotor in the crusher which is rotated to produce a breaking up of the material handled.
A conventional impact crusher has a frame including a hood portion which encompasses a crushing chamber within the crusher. A power-driven rotor is rotatably supported within the crusher, with the rotor supporting one or more hammers distributed about the periphery of the rotor. Material fed into the crusher cascades downwardly to fall against the rotor and be impacted by the hammers described as the rotor is rotated at high speed. The impact of a hammer striking the material being processed produces fragmentation of the material. A crusher of this description is disclosed in my copending application entitled "Impact Crusher with Biased Tertiary Curtain Assembly", filed October, 1992.
In a rotor for an impact crusher, it is important that any hammers provided be capable of operating over an extended period of time without replacement required. By constructing the hammer and its mounting in such a manner that the hammer may be turned over to provide a new striking edge, the service life of the hammer is appreciable extended. Any mounting for the hammer should hold it securely in place, since it should be obvious that were a hammer to work lose during operating of the crusher, because of the operating speed of the rotor and the weight of the hammer, considerable damage could result. While a hammer should be held securely, nevertheless, the mounting for the hammer should be such as to enable the hammer easily to be removed and turned over or replaced.
A general object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved construction for the rotor in an impact crusher which takes care of the above-described requirements in a highly practical and satisfactory manner.
More specifically, an object is to provide an improved rotor for an impact crusher, which features plural hammers or hammer bars distributed about the rotor, and a mounting whereby a hammer bar is securely held in its intended operating position, the mounting nevertheless being readily disassembled when rotor repair is required.
Yet another object is to provide such a rotor with hammer bars for producing the impacting action where a bar has two working shoulders, and is capable of being turned over in its mounting when one shoulder of the bar becomes worn to place an opposite unworn shoulder in operating position.
As contemplated herein, a hammer bar may be removed from its mounting on a rotor with lifting of the bar in a direction extending generally radially of the axis of the rotor, which in a typical crusher might be in an upward direction where there is easy access to the interior of the crushing chamber. Bar removal may further be done without the need of extensive equipment. Bar removal is considerably easier than in organizations where the bar must be shifted in a longitudinal direction, or in a direction extending axially of the rotor.
A further object is to provide a rotor construction which provides replaceable wear surfaces in regions of the rotor where appreciable wear occurs.
Yet a further object is to provide a rotor which employs wedge members and wedge retainers for holding a hammer bar in place, and such a construction where the wedge members and retainers are reversible.